Guide to the Stephen Olney letter to Jeremiah Dexter, 1777 August 3


Special Collections, James P. Adams Library.
Rhode Island College
600 Mount Pleasant Ave
Providence, RI, 02908
Tel: 401-456-8380
email:digitalcommons@ric.edu

Published in 2023

Collection Overview

Title: Stephen Olney letter to Jeremiah Dexter
Date range: 1777 August 3
Creator: Olney, Stephen (Coggeshall).
Extent: 0.01 cubic feet.
Abstract: The collection contains a typescript copy of a letter written by Stephen “Coggeshall” Olney to Jeremiah Dexter in August of 1777.
Language of materials: English.
Repository: Special Collections, James P. Adams Library.
Collection number: MSS-0102

Scope & content

The collection contains a transcribed typescript copy of a letter written by Stephen “Coggeshall” Olney, Captain of Second Rhode Island, Continental Line, whose battalion was commanded by Col. Israel Angell. The letter was written to Jeremiah Dexter on August 3, 1777, in Peekskill, New York. The letter is in response to one Dexter had sent and details some aspects of the Revolutionary War, including the retreat from Fort Ticonderoga and the need for clothing and supplies.

Access Points

Subject Names Subject Topics Geographical Names Document Types

Arrangement

The collection contains one item and therefore has no current arrangement.

Biographical/Historical Note

Jeremiah Dexter, who was born around 1731, was a member of the “North Providence Rangers,” a militia group from Rhode Island during the Revolutionary War. Dexter died in 1807.

Stephen “Coggeshall” Olney was born in North Providence in 1755. He entered the Revolutionary War in 1777 and participated in the battles of Long Island, White Plains, Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. He was wounded in the battles of Springfield and Yorktown. Olney died in North Providence in 1832.

Access & Use

Access to the collection: The collection is open for research.
Use of the materials: Researchers are advised to contact Rhode Island College Special Collections for questions regarding permissions to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise publish material from this collection. Although Rhode Island College has physical ownership of the collection, it does not necessarily hold literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Alternate form: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact the Rhode Island College Special Collections.  
Preferred citation: Stephen Olney letter to Jeremiah Dexter, MSS-0102, Special Collections, James P. Adams Library, Rhode Island College.
Contact information: Special Collections, James P. Adams Library.
Rhode Island College
600 Mount Pleasant Ave
Providence, RI, 02908
Tel: 401-456-8380
email:digitalcommons@ric.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION  
Acquisition: Provenance of the collection is unknown. It was in the holdings of Special Collections prior to 2000.
Processing information: The collection was described by Special Collections intern, Melissa Moniz, in 2023 under the supervision of Digital Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, Veronica L. Denison.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID  
Author: Finding aid prepared by Melissa Moniz and Veronica L. Denison.
Encoding: This finding aid was encoded by Veronica L. Denison, 2023.
Descriptive rules: Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Related material: Rhode Island College Special Collections also holds a letter written by Jeremiah Dexter’s grandson to Dexter’s granddaughter: Edward Dexter Emerson letter to Anna Emerson, MSS-0099.
Location of originals: The collection is a transcribed letter of an original, however Special Collections does not have information on the location of the original.
Location/Existence of copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact the Rhode Island College Special Collections.  
Other information:
    Works used in preparation of inventory:
    “Stephen Olney.” WikiTree, 12 June 2022, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Olney-449.

Inventory